Publication 89, 1908, Aerial navigation. Review of progress and estimate of future possibilities
Reproduces some of an editorial in Engineering News (16 January 1908) which claimed that heavier-than-air flight would never be perfected for practical use. Mostly seems to be historical overview. The main argument about future possibilities goes as follows:
There is a good deal of misconception as to the probable field for successful aerial navigation. To the lay mind anything is possible, and the 'navies battling in the blue' appears a reasonable probability of the future. The engineer, however, realizes the inherent dangers and difficulties of any form of air navigation. No invention or ingenuity can neutralize the danger to a body poised in mid air and dependent only upon the supporting power of the air to save it from a disastrous fall to the earth. No invention or ingenuity can make safe the navigation of a medium subject to such commotions as hurricanes and tornadoes. By no possibility can carriage of freight or passengers through mid air compete with their carriage on the earth's surface.
The field, then, for aerial navigation is limited to military use and for sporting purposes. The former is doubtful; the latter is fairly certain.
| Original title | Aerial navigation. Review of progress and estimate of future possibilities |
|---|---|
| Simple title | Aerial navigation. Review of progress and estimate of future possibilities |
| Authors | |
| Date | 1908-03 |
| Countries | US |
| Languages | en |
| Keywords | navigation, future, history, prediction, LTA, airplane, military |
| Journal | Eng. Mag. |
| Related to aircraft? | 1 |
| Page count | 3 |
| Word count | |
| Wikidata id |
Sources
- Brockett 1, page 7, entry 89: Aerial navigation. Review of progress and estimate of future possibilities. Eng. Mag., Vol. 34 (March 1908), New York, pp. 1057-1059. (89
- Scan at HathiTrust
